Process for the production of a digestible flour from bran.



unicorn PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION 035" A DIGESTI BLE FLIlUEt FROM Specification oi setters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 19023.

Application filed May '1, 3907. Serial No, 372,335.

To all whom it may (care -2'1:

Be it known that I. 'lunonon ScnLii'rnn, Jr, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, and resident of l oerderstedi, near Magdcburg, in the German l hupirc, have invented a new and useful Process for the. Pron I l duction or a Digestible l [our iroiu Bran, o'l

which. the following is a specification.

According to my invention the bran is subjected to the socalled breaking process, that is to say, a process for the enlargement of the surface of the bran, so that a llour is obtained which is highly suitable for lured-making; and imparts to the bread containing bran converted according to my invention valuable properties hitherto not present.

The bran, in its usual condition being very indigestible and without nutritirms action, is converted by my invention into a digestive flour which can be used together with the fine and coarse flour for the production oi a most excellent bread.

It is well known that in the bran enzymes 'i. e. diastase and ccrcalinc are contained, which lernients arc most-suitable for the assimilation of the carho-hydrates, contained in the bran. For this pur use. 1 subject lirst the bran to the action 0' heat and water, whereby the bran sull'ers a chemical change, and its starch is transformed either into fruit sugar, or partially into fruit sugar and artially into paste. This treatment of the ran also breaks up the walls of the cells of the gluten-layers and renders the gluten ussimilable. After this the bran is subjected to a drying process, which lasts either a long: or short time in accordance with the special requirements in making the bread. Attention is to be given to thcnhei ht oi the temperature in order to prevent t e formed fruit sugar from being converted. into glucose or oven caramel, and the temperature is preferabl selected which will transform the carbohy rates into dextrin i. c. maltose or pyro- (lextrin. This drying process results l'ur thermore in rendering the cellulose and the raw fiber of the bran orittle, fitting them for the subsequent grinding of the bran. flour obtained by this treatment of the bran is to be mixed for the purpose of making bread. with line and. coarse flour preferably in proportions as they .originally occur in the grain.

Modificationsof the process are obtained by changing the quantity of water to be mixed with the bran, and the temperature The used in connection. with the breaking and driving process. it may be observed that the step ol' breaking according to my invention is (lltll'illt-Olli'iifil by the combined action oi moisture and bear upon. the bran and. the duration of the breaking process carried on below determines the en'iount or" sugar ing elleried on the carbo-hgrlrates of the bran by the PllZjlHCS, while the difing process is intended for the evaporation of the. water. The quantity of water to be used depends upon whether the mixture of bran and water is to be subjected to a boiling, steaming or baking process. ihegreatest quuntil'- of Water is used when boiling is to take place, While in connection with the baking process only about a third. of the quantity or water is to be employed.

it is well known that the enzymes are killed oil at a temperature of about 70 rentigrade. ll the'breaking temperature is raised beyond that, the enzymes are already lulled all during the breaking process so that in the subsequent drying process any action of the enzymes upon the carbohydrates such as starch is prev nted and only a small qui'intity of the -r is con vcrted into fruit sugar in case ground product, is dark coio is also the broad obtained from this c Jeri'ed brunflour mixed with fine flour and coarse ilour. if, however, the breaking temperature kept low and is ruisedslowly up to 70 deu'rees rentigrzule, and also the drying temperature is kept below this limit a ii-rclonged action of the enzymes is insured and the processresultsin a large Formation of lruit sugarwhereby the bran llour obtained is of a light color, and the bread also is light. and sweet. When the mixture of water and bran is quickly heated up to degrees during; the lireuhin process and then slowly dried at a low temperature of about 70 U, the formation of fruit sugar is you lcctly prevented and only a swelling, thickcning and bursting up of the Walls ol." the cells takes place, so that the broad containing bran llour obtained. in this manner is light butnot sweet. it will be understood that this bursting action of the cell Walls occurs in all cases and forms an important feature ol the converted bran according; to the Pl'Ol-lll'lt invention beruuse such broken up cells oli'er more surface to the action of the digestive 'lluids. if, finally the brr-"liing teingionilure kept low 6. c. atabout 76C.

iii.

and the drying temperature is high i. 6. 100C. still reater quantities of fruit sugar result from t e carbon olihydrates, and the bread having such bran flour is of a dark color.

. The process hithertodescribed is carried out in using only the natural enzymes contained in the bran but for the purpose of hastening the processand rendering it more 10 active i. e. sugaring a greater quantity of the carbo-hydrates, enzymes can be introduced into the bran in the form of malt preparations containing diastase, or chemicals can be added, acting like the said malt-preparations. I

The following-examples will more fullyillustrateniy invention. The shells from the grain obtained by the grinding process are ground-as far as possible. This step, of 1;) course, can be omitted. The shells are mixed with cold water so as to form a thin pulp and the latter boiled in a boiling vessel. t is preferable to increase slowly the term perature up to about 70 C. and then rapidly to 100 C. and more. In boiling the mixture the enzymes contained in the shells are killed off when the temperature is about 70 degrees (1., so that in the further course of the boiling process the conversion of the carbohydrates (e. g. starch) into fruit sugar is preventedand only a swelling, thickening and bursting of the walls of the cells takes place which action is herein referred to as the breaking action. The time for this breaking process is determined by the temperature, that is to say, the boiling is interrupted when the temperature is about 100 degrees. Then the drying process takes place. The boiled bran-pulp is brought into a bakingor drying furnace or in anv L'othelgsuitable drying room andleft therein "till all the water is evaporated. The dried goods thus-obtained are ground to form a fine flour. The duration of the-drying process is essentially determined by the-qu anti ty 1 I of Water used. in the breaking process.

- I will. now proceed to describe a process which can be easily carried out in. that a small quantity of water is used for the breaking process, and therefore the drying process takes place quickly because only a small quantity of water is to be evaporated. The bran is mixed with water in equal arts by weight and a sticky dough is man; therefrom. This dough is out into pieces of about a length of 30 to 40 centimeters and a height of 15 centimeters. These pieces are put into a baking furnace showing about a temperature of 250 C. and left therein .6 to 8 hours orerhaps still longer till the dough-is gradually to aked. The pieces are sufficiently heated when they reach a temperature of 95 to 100 C. l and a solution of the bran in water strongly reduces Fehlings solution when mixedtherewith. From these piecesthe crusts are 'detached, perfectly dried, disintegrated and then ground. In the same manner the wet inner part of the pieces'is also 'lisintegrated dried and ground. The flour thins obtained is used in the bread-making.

It may be observed that it has become known to treat bran with chemical agents, and it has further become known to subject the whole grain to the action of heat and water, and I therefore do not claim the em 7 5 ployment of heat and water in general, but

what .i claim is clearly pointed out and distinguished from the prior knowledge in the following claims.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

The herein describedprocess for the pro; ductlon of a digestible hour from bran, consisting in mixing the bran with boil'in" water as to form a thin pulp, in heatingquic kly the pulp up to (7., in drying the ulp at a low temperature of about 70 C. tifi it becomes solid and in grinding the solid mass to a flour.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 9Q hand in the presence of two witnesses.

THEODOR SCHLUTER', J R. Witnesses:

WoLnnMAR f'lAUrr, HENRY HAsPER. 

